Football365

Freddie Ljungberg has told Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta that he must “use” Eberechi Eze “more” after his brilliant performance in a 4-1 win over Tottenham.

Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scored twice as Arsenal comfortably beat Spurs in the North London Derby on Sunday in an important result for the Premier League title race.

Arsenal extended their lead back to five points over second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand, while Tottenham are only four points off the relegation zone.

Eze, who was on the bench in midweek against Wolves, was particularly brilliant against Spurs and stated his case for starting more matches.

Speaking of Eze’s excellent display, Arteta said: “He had that belief and I’m really happy with him. He’s really trying to mold and adapt into what we want from him.”

On the win over their arch-rivals, the Arsenal boss added: “I’m really happy, really proud about how we approached the game.

READ:16 Conclusions from Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal: Bottle, relegation, Rice, Gyokeres, Eze, Gallagher

“The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.

“That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it.

“This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.”

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel insists that Eze is “one of those players that you want to pay to come and watch him play”.

Schmeichel said on Viaplay: “He’s such an elegant player. He’s actually a really beautiful player to watch.

“He’s one of those players that you want to pay to come and watch him play.

“Arsenal haven’t got many of those players, but him, it’s brilliant when he’s on that kind of form.”

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On Eze, Arsenal legend Ljungberg added: “He’s so ingrained from being at Palace, you have to always create something: you have a chance, you have to make something.

“He does that here and I think they should use him more than they do.”

Before ex-Man Utd defender Stam said: “It must be a nightmare to play against him. If you see him move, he’s taking up great positions and he’s so comfortable on the ball,’ he said.

“He knows what to do and he also has a clear understanding of what his team-mates are doing as well.

“He knows them and, with his one-touch football, he can find them. From there, he creates spaces for his team-mates but also for himself.

“It’s always nice when you’re playing in a team with those types of players because it gives you so much extra, so much quality technically, but, also, the goalscoring performances that he’s putting out… it’s great to see that.”

Gary Neville has heaped praise on David Raya for bouncing back from his blunder against Wolves with a “dominant” performance at Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal smashed their north London rivals 4–1 on Sunday to move five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

It was a dominant performance from Mikel Arteta’s side, who suffered a scare when Declan Rice’s error led to a Randal Kolo Muani goal just 24 seconds after Eberechi Eze had given the visitors the lead.

The Gunners stepped up in the second half as Viktor Gyokeres scored twice and Eze completed the scoring with his second of the game – and his fifth against Spurs this season – having notably rejected them to join the league leaders last summer.

It was a big performance from Eze, who scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture in November, but goalkeeper Raya also earned widespread praise for his display.

READ: 16 Conclusions from Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal: Bottle, relegation, Rice, Gyokeres, Eze, Gallagher

The Spanish international had been heavily criticised in the build-up to Sunday’s derby after his error cost Arsenal two points against bottom club Wolves on Wednesday, but he responded with an excellent performance against Igor Tudor’s men.

Raya recorded three claims, made four saves and two clearances, most notably acrobatically clawing a goal-bound effort from Richarlison off the line late on.

He restored calm to the Arsenal backline, coming out confidently for set-pieces to relieve pressure and launch counter-attacks. On a day dominated by Eze and Gyokeres, he was outstanding.

Raya also earned praise from Manchester United legend Neville, who highlighted Arsenal’s mentality after their damaging result against Wolves days earlier.

“At half-time they may have looked back and thought, ‘How are we in this position?’ because they were so dominant in the game,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.

“They caused their own problems once or twice and I was wondering if these mistakes were becoming contagious and would cost a team who were dominant in most matches.

“In the end, it was really important what happened today. It’s too early to feel the real title pressure — we’re not quite in the home straight – but this is going to get really hot when we get into April. Games really do count now and Arsenal have been in a difficult run.”

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Neville then singled out Raya, calling his response to recent criticism “absolutely incredible”.

“I was thinking about it before the game and I singled out David Raya because I think he’s been absolutely incredible – what a goalkeeper he’s been this season and since he joined Arsenal,” he continued.

“But he had all of Thursday and Friday to think long and hard about that Wolves game and listen to the noise. How is he going to respond? Is he going to be more tentative, wobbly and shaky?

“Absolutely not. Look at his body language – he had authority, he dominated his area and caught every cross that came in. It was really important for him today to get back to his mistake-free best, and he made a special save as well.

“Arsenal had a job to do today and they’ve done it. It was a good day for Raya, who has been brilliant all season.”

Arsenal deserve credit for their dismantling of Tottenham but one Gunner deserves nothing less than a kicking. Imagine the dive if you did.

If you’re looking for angry and disappointed Liverpool fans, click here. Send your mails to theeditor@football365.com

Did somebody call Dr Tottenham?

Don’t underestimate Dr. Tottenham treatment because it’s works on everybody even arch rival. Whether Arsenal will bottled it or Man City will finished them off by themselves, one thing for sure is that the title race is on.

Mudashiru LFC Ibadan (Or Arsenal just bottled it and we call it a day)

Arsenal deserve credit for that key win

Impressively City-esque performance from the gooners. First signs of being able to make, but then largely eradicate, multiple nervous mistakes mid game at crunch time that I’ve seen from them in a game this big under Arteta ever. Yeah Spurs are wa*k this season, but new manager, at their place, stakes super high, mid-wobble, AND it was a derby??!? I give the Arsenal deserved grief most of the time, but hands up here, fair play to them.

RHT/TS x

(Gyokeres seems to have woken up with some medication from Dr Tottenham, or maybe Spurs are just Portuguese mid table standard…)

READ: 16 Conclusions from Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal: Bottle, relegation, Rice, Gyokeres, Eze, Gallagher

Arsenal deserve MORE credit for that key win

I’m not sure what the editorial meetings look like at F365, but my guess is the brief is ‘team, snide then snide some more’.

I’ve just read the Spurs v Arsenal match report. You’d have thought Arsenal were dismal and lost given the tone of the first couple of paragraphs.

Now, nobody is asking the a bright and shiny BBC headline which stated ‘Arsenal score four against Spurs as they go five points clear’ which has certain ChatGPT glaze about it. But the sheer commitment to a Richard Keys-esque salty reading of the game was disingenuous.

Arsenal won pretty decently. 60% possession and 20 shots, leading to 4 goals. While the conceded goal was sloppy, and endemic of recent mistakes, Arsenal steamrollered Spurs in the second half and celebrated because every game means something now. Backhanded criticisms are boring. And smug.

Time to step up and be the title F365 used to be, back when it was a fan’s voice of football reporting, rich with humour and jibes, and an honest view of the game.

Alexander

Better, Arsenal…better

Let me start with Gyokeres, this was is best game since signing for Arsenal. I hope this continues next week against Chelsea.

The game was much better but our defense is still shaky and I worry whenever teams attack. We got better when Timber was substituted.

We need to shake of the nerves when playing at home, am not sure if the crowd at Emirates has something to do with it.

I don’t like Spurs but that was a goal, and never a foul.

Lwazi, South Africa

Where’s Stewie?

I bet we don’t hear much from “Stewie” after that.

Makes you wonder how he deals with Arsenal playing well, doesn’t it (maybe he thrashes himself half to death in his Tony Pulis Y-Fronts, whilst cutting the heads off Arteta press clippings)?

He certainly only pipes-up from his mum’s spare room when he can spout all his tenuous nicknames about Arsenal playing badly.

We’ll wait, Stewie. We’ll wait…

Andy FTM (fair play, Fulham. Well-deserved and no complaints. Not so long ago we got beat by Burton at home though, so all things considered, life is still pretty good).

Can we talk about that Gabriel dive?

That game just felt like Sky needed Arsenal to win. No acknowledgement of dive for Spurs equaliser. All praise for tap ins and lego head. Var isn’t the problem, it’s the TV rights. They decide.

Anthony Fox

…Gabriel with one of the most pathetic dives you will ever see, and Spurs second ruled out, changing the face of the game. What an absolutely horrendous, pathetic decision. Game is officially gone.

James Byrom

…I know that a foul committed by a defender and a foul committed by an attacker in the box are judged differently, but that Gabriel dive is so shameful it makes me desperately wish for retrospective action.

This is a player whose greatest attribute is physicality, who has contributed countless goals through sheer strength on corners – largely by holding and blocking opponents.

But his dive for the disallowed Spurs goal is an absolute shocking call from the ref, and deserves to be addressed. How can we enjoy this ‘sport’ when that kind of behavious is so richly rewarded?

It’s so hard to like what football has become. VAR ruining games, set-piece fouling being the best way to goal, and diving being constantly rewarded. The worst part of the sport is the officiating, and we just deal with it each week, say nothing and pay our license fees.

Ryan, Bermuda (watched the hockey before the NLD, now there’s a sport where toughness still matters)

Declan Rice and shades of Steve G

It’s just gone 1-1 in the game, writing this in the 35th min.

Declan Rice not letting the players celebrate fully after the Eze goal and giving some kinda lecture to keep their head in the game. Gave me shades of Stevie G.

Eberechi Eze is a world-class player…when there’s a strong narrative. He scored his fourth and fifth goals against Tottenham for Arsenal in an emphatic 4-1 away win for the league leaders.

It wasn’t plain sailing for the Gunners, as it rarely has been of late.

Arsenal are far too eager to prove they are their own worst enemies. They might want to believe it’s Manchester City, Howard Webb or the Football Association, but they have an uncanny habit of shooting themselves in the foot.

Declan Rice was the shock self-saboteur when he tried to dribble past Randal Kolo Muani on the edge of his own box seconds after Eze gave the visitors the lead. His pocket was picked and Kolo Muani ran into the box to smash the ball under David Raya.

It was Tottenham’s only touch in the Arsenal box in the first half, and Kolo Muani’s first Premier League goal. It was also his first league goal since scoring for Juventus in May 2025, under new Spurs boss Igor Tudor, who got five goals out of the Frenchman last season.

It was the fifth Premier League goal Arsenal have conceded this season that came from an Opta-defined error, and it summed up what they have been like recently. Four of their goals conceded in 2026 have been from defensive mistakes, and three of the other four were long-range beauties, including Hugo Bueno’s peach at Molineux on Wednesday.

Arsenal being their own worst enemy has cost them in two of their previous three fights for the title. 2022/23 might have come too soon for a young squad and manager, but they still ‘bottled’ it. The following year, the Gunners were near-perfect in the run-in, but Mikel Arteta overthinking in one game against Aston Villa was the difference.

Their recent form has been classic Arsenal: shooting themselves in the foot, losing their bottle, being their own worst enemy. Spurs away was the perfect opportunity to bounce back and a daunting task all the same.

Eze’s opener should have settled the nerves, but Rice’s error ensured that wasn’t the case.

Not in the away end anyway. The players weren’t rocked. They came out in the second half and did the job against the most beatable Spurs team since last season.

The referee’s technology delayed the second half from kicking off, just as it halted the first half for seven minutes with Arsenal in the ascendancy. It was pathetic, but Gary Neville’s complaints kept us entertained. He sounded like someone ringing up Virgin Media. The PGMOL would somehow have worse customer service than them as well.

It took less than two minutes for Arsenal to retake the lead, scoring through Viktor Gyokeres, who definitely had his best night for the Gunners. He is not beating the flat-track bully allegations, is he? The guy can only score against relegation fodder!

But the story of the day was cemented when Eze scored his second and did a cool spinny thing on the ground.

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Gyokeres played his part in Eze’s second, but there was plenty of luck involved when the ball fell perfectly to the Arsenal man off Joao Palhinha’s heel. The big man upstairs really likes it when Eze scores against the team he rejected last summer. It was like divine intervention.

Six Premier League goals is a poor return for someone of Eze’s calibre, but the bigger story is when and how those goals arrived. Not only is North London Derby Ebere Eze a Ballon d’Or-calibre player, but Narrative Ebere Eze seems to be the best player in the world.

Five of those six came against Spurs, who tried to sign him from Crystal Palace in the summer before watching Arsenal steal him from under their noses, and the other came against Palace themselves. It’s amazing.

Eze has been largely underwhelming this season, but he clearly shows up when the narrative is strong. There was the winner against Palace back in October, a hilarious hat-trick in his derby debut, and now a match-winning brace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

If only there were some story behind every opposition. He’d win Arsenal the Quadruple – which remains on, by the way. But so it does for Manchester City, which fewer people are talking about.

Sunday’s derby was an important test of Arsenal’s title credentials amid their wobble. A win should raise confidence levels and perhaps produce the second wind they have clearly been needing.

A few players still look a bit off the pace. Rice’s mistake was a surprise, Leandro Trossard was sloppy throughout, Bukayo Saka continues to underwhelm, and Jurrien Timber looked destined for a second yellow before being hooked in the 57th minute. But at least Gyokeres looked sharper than ever and scored a brilliant brace.

Gabriel also might have cost Arsenal had Peter Bankes not bought his fall after Kolo Muani’s push. It was a foul, but it was his trademark collapse from minimal contact, something we have witnessed before, including twice at Newcastle United.

Arsenal did just fine, though. It was a convincing 4-1 victory. A statement. A crucial test passed with flying colours.

Spurs, meanwhile, continue to look utter tosh. Xavi Simons was awful and Radu Dragusin couldn’t deal with Gyokeres, which has not been said about many Premier League defenders this season.

It was a disappointing first match for Igor Tudor. His players showed some fight and a bit more urgency, but it was the same old story, really: a lack of quality, an inability to get the supporters engaged, and a home defeat.

They remain 16th, four above the drop zone and two behind Leeds United. It’s bleak. There is no dressing it up. They are in a relegation battle. There is no Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich to bail you out this year, fellas.

Having been beaten by the league leaders, the bigger story will be about the title race and what Arsenal can achieve this season.

If Narrative Eze doesn’t go into hiding again, they can achieve literally anything.

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has branded Tottenham Hotspur an “unserious” club ill-prepared for a relegation battle.

Tottenham are currently 16th in the Premier League table, four points above the relegation zone.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been as good as down since November, while Burnley are nine points from safety and already being written off. That leaves Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Leeds United and Crystal Palace battling to avoid 18th place, while Brighton and Hove Albion are also looking over their shoulders.

The north London side finished 17th in a horrific 2024/25 league campaign under Ange Postecoglou, who still managed to guide the club to Europa League glory after prioritising that competition from February onwards.

That papered over the cracks, with Spurs qualifying for the Champions League as a result. However, the club are unlikely to win that competition, making an upturn in Premier League form imperative for new head coach Igor Tudor.

Tudor has been appointed interim boss until the end of the season after Thomas Frank was sacked following eight months in charge.

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The Croatian has been tasked with lifting Spurs up the table, but former Watford captain Deeney believes he should be genuinely concerned about relegation.

In a scathing attack, Deeney said Spurs “are not a serious club” and claimed former players have told him there is “no winning mentality”.

The 37-year-old believes Spurs need a reality check and that the players should not consider themselves too good to go down after qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League.

“There will be players and staff pointing fingers or pretending nothing is quite as bad as it really is. But it is not realistic,” Deeney wrote in his Sun column.

“They were in denial when they finished 17th last year and have not moved on from it.

“Many of the players now will be thinking they can’t get relegated because they finished in the top eight of the Champions League. That isn’t how it works. They are not a serious club.

“I never played with a single footballer whose dream was to play for Spurs or who would have thought they had ‘made it’ by reaching that club. I played with some who moved from Tottenham who always said it was a great place to work, but there was no winning mentality.

“Flip that on its head and there will be no mentality for the relegation fight they are facing now.”

Deeney added that the Spurs squad has “too many luxury players” and lacks leaders.

“Go through the squad and there are too many luxury players, not prepared for what lies ahead,” he said.

“Where are the leaders? The people you want and need to scrap for one another. There is one who loves a scrap, Cristian Romero, but he can’t keep it controlled and damages the club because of it.

“They’re not a team that is going to outfight you or beat you up when it gets down to it. And neither are they going to play you off the park – they’re not good enough.

“West Ham are picking up and have players like Tomas Soucek who will battle until the end. Nottingham Forest have fighters too, and also players with enough quality to dig them out of trouble. Leeds will bash you into next week if you give them the chance.

“Spurs have none of that, and if they do go down, it will be completely self-inflicted.”

It was a game dictated by the sort of bursting, fearless, incisive runs provided by Rayan and Crysencio Summerville, but ultimately defined by neither.

One clipped the outside of the post at the end of his dash at panicked, backtracking defenders, while the other cut straight through an undermanned middle before playing in a team-mate.

As was the case for the majority of the previous 90 minutes, that stoppage-time effort was skewed wide. Jarrod Bowen buckled under pressure from Adrien Truffert, who arguably committed a foul in trying to stop the shot but escaped even the suggestion of a penalty because the West Ham forward Got The Shot Away.

The hosts would have contrived to miss the penalty anyway on all prior evidence. West Ham were very good, as has been the case recently under Nuno Espirito Santo, with all but two of their starting outfielders mustering at least one shot.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf, the two exceptions, were wonderful in defence and both created a chance apiece.

This was not a free-flowing, ultra-attacking West Ham performance – much of it still ran through Bowen or revolved around the movement of Summerville – but they look less like a relegation-threatened team with each game.

There was a mild sense of two points having been dropped but with 11 games to play and momentum firmly on their side over Spurs and Nottingham Forest, it was another step in the right direction for the Hammers.

And Rayan’s stunning drive from the middle of his own half deep into West Ham territory, riding a Mateus Fernandes before drifting inside Diouf and kissing the woodwork with a curling shot at the end of an 80-yard run, was a reminder that this particular Premier League season of physicality, duels and aggression will more often than not be defined simply by the moments such game-breaking players can conjure.

Bournemouth have certainly unearthed one in their 19-year-old Brazilian gem; Rayan alone is a compelling riposte to the idea that there is no value in the January transfer window.

The €100m release clause in his contract, which is thought to become active in the summer of 2027, will likely trigger a similar chase to that which delivered Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City last month.

It isn’t difficult to envisage West Ham as a Premier League entity under Nuno by that point, which cannot be said of Igor Tudor’s Spurs or the Vitor Pereira vintage of Nottingham Forest, even with their blistering start.

Is the new manager bounce a thing?

Is Arsenal bottling the Premier League title a thing?

There is certainly support for the former. Take Michael Carrick’s brilliant start at Old Trafford and Vitor Pereira securing an impressive 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in his first game as the latest Nottingham Forest boss.

If so, this is good news for new Spurs manager Igor Tudor as he looks to make an immediate impact after taking over from Thomas Frank.

As for the latter, the Gunners are playing into the hands of those saying they haven’t got the character to see this title bid through.

Blowing a 2-0 lead at Wolves in midweek means Mikel Arteta’s men have dropped points in five of their eight Premier League games in 2026.

Although Arsenal remain five clear at the top, if Manchester City win all their remaining games, Pep Guardiola’s men will be crowned champions again.

That will sit uncomfortably with everyone at the Emirates given that Arsenal have had opportunities to build a huge lead at the top.

How to watch Tottenham v Arsenal

Tottenham v Arsenal kicks off at 16.30 GMT on Sunday, February 22 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting from 16:00.

BBC Radio 5 Live will provide full match commentary.

Tottenham team news

It’s not easy to predict any new manager’s first starting XI but Tudor does have his hands tied by a list of ongoing injuries and suspensions so options are limited.

Skipper Cristian Romero serves the second of his four-match ban while Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are all still on the injured list.

But there is hope that defender Pedro Porro and striker Richarlison will be fit enough to return.

Tudor prefers a 3-4-2-1 system so that’s one obvious tweak we should see.

Tottenham expected line-up

(3-4-2-1) Vicario; Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Gray, Gallagher, Sarr, Spence; Kolo Muani, Simons; Solanke.

Arsenal team news

Arteta has a stronger hand to play with fewer players on the treatment table but there are still plenty of decisions to make.

Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick in the first meeting between these sides this season, but may be squeezed out here if Martin Odegaard comes back in.

Up front, the jury remains out on Viktor Gyokeres in big games so Gabriel Jesus may get the central striker’s role although Kai Havertz is pushing for a return too.

Arsenal expected line-up

(4-3-3) Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.

Tottenham v Arsenal stats

– Spurs have lost their last three Premier League home games against Arsenal, as many as they had in their previous 23 (W10 D10). They last lost four in a row against them between 1952 and 1955.

– Arsenal have won six of their last seven Premier League games against Spurs (D1), including each of the last four.

– Tottenham are winless in their last eight Premier League games (D4 L4). They last had a longer run within the same campaign between August and November 2007 (9).

– Tottenham are the only side without a Premier League win so far in 2026. It’s their longest run without a win from the start of a calendar year since 1994 (first 10).

– Since their last league defeat against Spurs in May 2022, Arsenal have lost just one of their 21 away London derby matches in the Premier League (W14 D6), going down 2-1 at Fulham in December 2023.

– New Spurs manager Igor Tudor has won his first match in charge in each of his last five spells at a club, starting with his second spell at Hajduk Split in February 2020 (and with Verona, Marseille, Lazio and Juventus since).

– Eberechi Eze has scored six goals in his last four Premier League appearances against Spurs (including three in two at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), netting a hat-trick in his first appearance against them for Arsenal in November’s reverse fixture.

– Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has won 41 of his 68 Premier League London derbies as manager, the best win rate (60.3%) of anyone to take charge of at least 20.

Tottenham v Arsenal predictions

Had this been Thomas Frank’s ailing Spurs against Arsenal, taking the 8/13 about a Gunners win would have seemed pretty much a no-brainer.

But if the new manager bounce mentioned earlier seems selective, when it comes to Tudor the evidence is absolutely black and white.

Put him in charge of a new team and he kicks off with a win. It’s happened the last five times he’s been in this position so the Croatian has a proven history of going in and waving a magic wand.

That wand will probably need to have Harry Potter-esque properties here given Arsenal’s recent dominance over Spurs but it’s certainly not beyond the realms that Tottenham can add to the Gunners’ wobbles.

The draw has merit at 3/1 and, with clean sheets unlikely, a scoring draw at 9/2 is worth investing in.

A more adventurous way to get to a draw is by trying to cash in on Arsenal not being able to defend a lead again, which happened in their two latest away games at Brentford and Wolves.

Arsenal to be leading at half-time but the game ending in a draw is a massive 16/1.

Arsenal face Tottenham in the North London Derby on Sunday as they look to get their Premier League title hunt back on track after a midweek draw against Wolves.

Manchester City, who have a game in hand on the Gunners, have the chance to move to within two points of the Premier League leaders when they face Newcastle United on Saturday.

Arsenal have now won just two of their last seven Premier League matches as predictable predictions of them ‘bottling’ the title are made.

Tottenham are having a disastrous season in the Premier League and will face their arch-rivals with a new face in the dugout as interim boss Igor Tudor takes his first match after replacing Thomas Frank, who was sacked ten days ago.

The majority of pundits seemed to still be tipping an Arsenal win but at least one pundit is leaning towards 16th-placed Tottenham upsetting the odds on Sunday.

Alan Shearer

Shearer told Metro: “Arsenal have to win the game. I mean, it’s pretty simple. It would be a disaster if they didn’t, and they’re not in great form, losing a 2-0 lead in the way they did against Wolves, they go into it under huge pressure. It might even be more if City beat Newcastle on Saturday night.

“But Spurs give me no confidence, even with the new manager bounce, that they would hope that they’re going to get so I’m going to say an Arsenal away win.”

READ: Big Weekend: Tottenham v Arsenal in relegation-bottlejob derby, Newcastle, Pereira, Ndiaye

Chris Sutton

Predicting a 3-0 win to Arsenal, Sutton said on BBC Sport: “It was an incredible wobble by Mikel Arteta’s team against Wolves, drawing 2-2 after being 2-0 up, and I certainly didn’t see it coming. Maybe it is getting to be ‘squeaky bum time’ for them, but it didn’t affect them when they went away to Leeds a couple of weeks ago and won convincingly.

“You can imagine how Spurs will be champing at the bit, and I am expecting them to make a fast start and have a real go at them – but Arsenal have to deal with that, and find a way of bouncing back.

“I think the Gunners can do that, and their quality will make the difference in the end. I worry about Spurs in forward areas, and it will be interesting to see how Tudor lines them up in defence too. Ultimately, if Arsenal turn up and play how we know they can, then they will win – and I am expecting them to make a real statement.”

Paul Merson

Merson told Sportskeeda: “I’m sitting here and I don’t know what happens in this game! I thought I’d never say that, but it is what it is. It was one of Arsenal’s worst-ever games against Wolves. There were no patterns of play and they never looked like their usual self.

“Tottenham have a new manager and it’s basically a free swing for them in the derby now. If Tottenham lose, no one cares. The pressure is on Arsenal and if Newcastle lose to City, it just adds to it.

“I find it strange that Eberechi Eze did not start as the no.10 against Wolves. He was brought in to do that. Then why did he not start the game? Mikel Arteta used Bukayo Saka as a no.10 instead. He’s not suited to play there because he’s a proper winger.

“Noni Madueke also started against Wolves and he’s very hot and cold. He will do something amazing and the next thing he does would make you go, ‘why did he do that?’. Madueke is very direct but he has to mix it up. You can’t be direct all the time. He has still done better than what I expected this season though.

“I won’t be surprised if Saka goes to the wing and Eze comes on for Madueke in this game. For me, Eze has to play as the no.10 against Spurs. He’s good in tight spaces and is better than Saka in that role. I’m expecting Arsenal to win but I won’t be shocked if they failed to either. It just seems like they can’t open teams up anymore. Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Arsenal.”

READ: Hansi Flick and Pep Guardiola lead six genuine contenders to replace Mikel Arteta at Arsenal

Alan Smith

Smith told BestBettingSites: “None of us quite knows what to expect. Igor Tudor seems to be a bit of a firefighter. That’s where he’s had his success at other clubs.

“He’ll be trying to kick a few backsides, maybe, really rally them, which isn’t easy for a caretaker manager because players will be looking at him thinking, well, you’re not going to be here next season.

“But if he’s got something about him, maybe he can produce a reaction. And for Arteta, he’s thinking, ‘oh, how are they going to set up? How are they going to play?’

“So Tottenham and Tudor are a bit of an unknown quantity from that point of view. That might be something Tudor can take advantage of but I still fancy Arsenal. I’ll do 2-0.”

Harry Redknapp

Redknapp told BetVictor: “This is the big one, and a very hard game to predict it.

“Let’s be honest, who knows what to expect from Spurs. I like Thomas Frank but the performances of late have been really poor and they probably needed a change.

“Tudor’s come in and he’s got a decent reputation in Italy but how will he get on at Spurs, only time will tell. Talk about an early test for him though!

“As for Arsenal, who knows what to expect? I cannot believe they blew that game against Wolves, that’s just so unlike them and boy, has that put pressure on this game.

“Are those Arsenal lads beginning to feel the pressure? That Spurs crowd should lift the players and make this a closer game that some might expect.

“I can see a nervy, entertaining draw! Bukayo Saka is one to watch as well, he’s signed a new deal and he’ll want to celebrate in style here.”

Former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has made a claim about “unbelievable” defender Micky van de Ven which will strike fear into Spurs fans amid Real Madrid interest.

Van de Ven has been part of Tottenham‘s best centre-back duo since joining the club. When he arrived from Wolfsburg in 2023, he struck up a partnership with Cristian Romero which has seen them play 70 times together.

Injuries and suspensions have not allowed them to consistently pair up, and while Spurs have struggled this season, the pair remain two of their most important players.

The manager who brought him to the club, Postecoglou, has recently detailed the high ceiling of the Dutch defender, despite himself no longer being at Tottenham.

Postecoglou said on Stick to Football: “He can be as good as he wants to be. You watch him at the World Cup. I reckon they’ll play him left-back and he’ll be unbelievable.

“Once he gets going, technically he’s good, and his ability to cover ground is phenomenal. You’d set him up against any striker in the world without any fear that he was going to get outmuscled, and definitely not outrun.”

It’ll be a worry to Tottenham fans that one of their best players is being tipped for such success, given they are 16th in the Premier League and Van de Ven is of interest to Real Madrid.

If he can maintain a top level, there’s no way he should be playing for a side who have battled down towards the bottom of the Premier League for the last two seasons.

A report of late suggested Van de Ven is ‘generating the most buzz’ for Real Madrid at the moment, though they currently don’t want to pay the reported £69million asking price.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365:

* Report names 15 players who Tottenham fans can expect to leave if they are relegated

* Igor Tudor ticks Spoke Well, I Thought box but Spurs’ future still looks terrifyingly bleak

* Tottenham warned over Pochettino risk as World Cup concern emerges: ‘Eye off the ball’

There is an alternative, with Tottenham said to be open to a swap if it includes Real winger Rodrygo.

If Van de Ven has the kind of World Cup that Postecoglou is expecting from him, there’ll be more sides in the mix for him and it’ll be all the more difficult for Spurs to keep hold of their star centre-back.

There is also the suggestion that Romero will be out the door this summer, so Spurs could lose both of their preferred centre-back pairing and have a big rebuild on their hands.

Tottenham revealed earlier this week that former Juventus head coach Tudor will take charge on an interim basis until the end of the season after they sacked Thomas Frank.

Tudor has never spent two years or more at one club with his longest spell coming at Hajduk Split in Croatia, where he lasted from April 2013 to February 2015, winning the Croatian Cup, his only major trophy during his managerial career.

And there is understood to be little chance of Tudor making it past the six-month mark at Tottenham with Spurs looking to appoint his successor in the summer.

Tottenham are currently 16th in the Premier League table, one place below Leeds United – who were promoted from the Championship last season – and the north London club face the very real danger of being sucked into a relegation fight if they don’t improve their form.

Crucially, 18th-placed West Ham are still five points behind Tottenham and a couple of early wins under new boss Tudor could see them clear of the drop.

READ: Igor Tudor ticks Spoke Well, I Thought box but Spurs’ future still looks terrifyingly bleak

However, The Athletic insists that Tottenham ‘should have no problem attracting interest from the Premier League and across Europe if the club were to be relegated’.

The full list of potential exits given by the report was: Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero. Kevin Danso, Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke.

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness is sure Tottenham are already in talks with USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino in order to convince him to rejoin as permanent manager after the World Cup.

Wyness told Football Insider: “Well, I’ve got to give a credit here to Tim Spears of The Athletic who described Igor Tudor as the Croatian Sam Allardyce, which I thought was very apt, given his track record of the number of clubs that he’s had.

“I think Igor Tudor is a short-term situation. I think it does point to the fact they want Pochettino back after the US exit the World Cup. And I think those discussions, I’m pretty sure, are going on.

“And that’s what I think would calm things down at Spurs and allow the Lewis group to really back somebody, like Pochettino, with a proven track record and to get things done. So I think that’s the plan.”